« Epigenomes | Main | Outsourcing Blogs »
Markets in guilt reduction
If you're feeling guilty about driving your giant sport utility vehicle (but not so guilty that you'd ever give it up), salvation is at hand. For a yearly fee of around $80, a company called TerraPass will offset the damage your SUV does to the atmosphere by spending your money to reduce industrial carbon emissions and to promote the spread of clean energy. They'll also send you a decal and a bumper sticker, so everyone in the neighborhood will know that your gas guzzler has been sanctified.
Here is the full story, which details other options as well. Of course we need not stop with SUVs. Have your life taped and recorded, and submit the results to certified third-party arbitrators (who, by the way, will safeguard your confidentiality). They will tell you how much of a cancer you have been to the body politic, and suggest offsetting charitable contributions.
Addendum: Read this also, thanks to Graham Lawlor.
Posted by Tyler Cowen on August 16, 2005 at 05:37 PM in Economics | Permalink
TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d8341c66b253ef00e5508354af8833
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Markets in guilt reduction:
» Want to help the environment? But you love your SUV? from the daily bj
So you really do like aminals, and twees, and all that nature stuff. But you wouldn't want to trade away your land yacht in order to help? For the cost of about a tank of gas in one of those behemoths, you can just pay your way to self-satisfaction. ... [Read More]
Tracked on Aug 17, 2005 2:14:05 AM
» Guilt-free SUV? Not as far as I'm concerned. from Virtually Shocking
So, according to Tyler Cowen on Marginal Revolution, a company will now offset your CO2 production for a yearly fee.
Not only do I find this foolish (why expend energy to repair damage you could have just avoided?), but more importantly, it doesn't ... [Read More]
Tracked on Aug 17, 2005 10:47:39 AM
» Sanctify your SUV from Crazy But Able
Sanctify your SUV (Marginal Rev.)It’s a secular version of these.
... [Read More]
Tracked on Aug 17, 2005 12:56:52 PM
» Selling Indulgences, Modern-Style from Different River
Tyler Cowen called his post on this, "Markets in guilt reduction," which is a better title, but if I'm going to steal nearly an entire post (with attribution of course -- I'm a closet academic!), I should at least make up a new title.
Besides, I... [Read More]
Tracked on Aug 18, 2005 2:11:01 AM